Click here to see a typical Santa Barbara boat party. (59K jpg photo)
Six Flags’ Magic Mountain ( Magic Mountain Parkway, Valencia (805) 255- 4100 ) is the acknowledged leader in thrill rides for Southern California. You can ride at least four major roller coasters, 3 water related rides, and multiple go-around-in-circles- till-you-get-dizzy-and-throw-up rides. This is a teenager’s paradise. There are numerous discount coupons this summer from McDonalds, Burger King, Ralph’s Supermarket and Golden Grahams cereal.
Six Flags’ Hurricane Harbor is a new water park next door to Magic Mountain at a separate admission. Early word is that it is not very extensive to be so expensive.
SPECIAL OFFER! A five-day special pass for only $68 for adults and $44 for
children (3-11). See Feedback
Be there when it opens! By 11:00 a.m. lines can be 1.5 hr. long ( 3 hours for Indiana Jones). Have breakfast at the McDonald’s across the street. They usually open Main Street a half hour before the rest of the park. Just before opening time everyone masses at the end of main street to race to Indiana Jones, Star Tours, Splash Mountain, or Dumbo. Why Dumbo? Because only about eight kids can go at a time and even though it is just an elephantized kiddie airplane ride, the wait quickly reaches 45 minutes. Many of the fantasyland rides have a low throughput of people per hour. I had thought this was an engineering oversight from 1955 because newer rides process customers quite well, but when they opened Toon Town they added a kiddie rollercoaster that holds about eight kids at a time. They must think the best place for small kids is long lines. Splash Mountain can have huge lines considering that it is just a log ride like those at Knott’s and Magic Mountain.
* If you have infants or small children who cannot go on a ride, tell the attendant when
you get to the front. They will let one parent stay behind with the child while everyone
else takes the ride. Then the parents can trade places. Just ask. Also don’t take your
own stroller. Rent one of theirs. That way if someone takes it while you are on a ride
you’re just out about $6.
Many of the rides at Disneyland are dark and can scare small children. These include some of the Fantasyland rides. Unfortunately two of the attractions that make Disneyland magic, Pirates of the Caribbean and the Haunted Mansion, fall into this category.
Summer afternoons at Disneyland can be brutal due to peak crowds as well as heat. If your hotel is in Anaheim, take the afternoon off for a nap or dip in the pool. If you are staying too far away, you can go out for lunch then find a neighborhood park to rest in for a couple of hours. Make reservations early if you are planning on having lunch or dinner at Disney’s nicer restaurants. Next to the Bear Country Theater is fast food restaurant where you can by hot dogs and hamburgers for four for under $25 then eat on the shaded verandah next to the Rivers of America. Kids can feed bits of those very expensive buns to the ducks in the water while you watch the canoes, keelboats, Mark Twain riverboat, and Columbia pirate ship go past. After lunch try to avoid 2-hour waits for 2-minute rides. This is a good time to take the raft ride to Tom Sawyer’s Island. Kids can play in the warren of caves or the log fort while parents wish there was a comfortable place to sit. This is also a good time to ride the Mark Twain riverboat or Columbia tall ship.
More information and opinions can be found through Karen's Gateway to Disneyland Pages.
Knott’s Berry Farm ( 8039 Beach Blvd., Buena Park (714) 827-1776 ) has more attractions for young children. For example, their mine ride, though dark, moves slowly enough to not intimidate young ones. They have a full-sized steam train that’s always popular. Knott’s has a great 3-D presentation of reef fish. My son kept reaching out to touch the fish.
Knott’s competes with Magic Mountain for the teen business. Their latest attraction is a roller coaster called Jaguar which runs over a good portion of the park. Evenings especially will be crowded with teenagers.
Universal Studios(100 Universal Plaza, Hollywood (818) 508-9600)
At $27 for adults/ $21 for children (3-11), I feel that Universal Studios is overpriced compared to Disneyland. I have not been there since Backdraft and Back to the Future have been around but because so many of the attractions are 'performance' oriented, starting times often make it difficult to see the things you want without lengthy 'dead' time between shows. I still would go if you have never been before but try to find some discount coupons. Read this fine guide written by a Universal guide.
Grunion are thin silvery fish that consumate their relationship and lay their eggs in the sand
of California beaches between waves late at night. Most people outside California have
never heard of grunion and most Californians think that a ‘grunion run’ is like a ‘snipe
hunt’. I can personally atest to their existance and if you are on the right part of the right
beach at the right time of the right night, you too can see so many six-inch sex-crazed
grunion on the beach that you can’t walk without stepping on them. I have only had that
predicament once but I have never been stood up when I went looking for grunion. There
have always been at least 30 over a one-hour span. It is said that the first few to come
onto the sand are scouts and if they see flashlights or hear voices, they will tell the waiting
horde to move to another beach. You are only allowed to catch grunion with your hands.
Don’t worry, they don’t have sharp spines in their fins. Adults are supposed to have a
fishing license. Grunion can be eaten. If you roll them in cornmeal and fry them up, they
taste like fried cornmeal. There are few things more entertaining than watching someone
try to pick up a slimy squirmy fish which is intent on wriggling back to the surf line. (P.S.
YOU WILL GET WET!)
See Feedback.
One of my favorite excursions is to go to Bolsa Chica State Beach (just west of Huntington Beach in Orange County) late in the afternoon when everyone else is leaving after a hard day in the sun. As the sun goes down and the crowds disipate, there is such a feeling of tranquility that you are tempted to pull a Gauguin and head for Tahiti. I mention Bolsa Chica because they have fire pits. We stop at the supermarket for a couple of bundles of firewood, some easy-light charcoal, hotdogs, and marshmallows. We nearly always forget the skewers but eventually find some at the beach. For some reason a cremated wiener really hits the spot when we gather around the bonfire in primordial (or pyromaniacal) wonder. Then we go down to the surf in the dark to watch for luminesence in the waves and ponder the tirelessness of the ocean as it sends wave after wave crashing on the sand. WARNING - If you decide to go skinny dipping, remember that there are hungry fish out there.
If you take Gaffey south, you will eventually reach Point Fermin Lighthouse Park. You cannot go into the lighthouse as it is the home of some lucky park ranger, but the park is relaxing and it’s a nice place to view the ocean. You are not supposed slip around the fence on the east side of the park to see a jumble of streets where the land collapsed many years ago.
Just before the Point Fermin is a lookout over the Los Angeles Harbor on the left and another park on the right. This park contains the Friendship Bell, a gift from Korea. It also is the entrance to the Fort MacArthur Museum built around a World War II defense bunker. (Open on weekends only.) Drive back into the compound to see the Marine Mammal Care Center where injured seals and sea lions are being readied for release back into the ocean. We discovered the care center late one afternoon at feeding time and were free to watch the animals from just outside their pens. This is not really a tourist attraction but the staff is friendly and helpful when they aren't busy. They will accept donations.
If you turn right where Gaffey ends and go a mile or so to the end of Western Ave., there is a ramp down to a beach parking lot. This is White Point and one of the best tide pool areas in L.A. County. At low tide go to the east end of the parking area and head toward the sea. At first the rocks are round and hard to walk on, but they give way to huge slabs of rock with shallow sandy pools suitable for wading. Sea life includes sea anemones, sea urchins, crabs, and starfish. Please do not disturb anything! Leave it for other people to enjoy. Check a local newspaper weather section for low-tide times.
Maritime Museum ( Berth 84, at 6th and Harbor, San Pedro. (310) 548-7618 Free.) is popular with young and old alike. It chronicles the history of seafaring through ship models and sailing paraphernalia. You will find everything from samples of scrimshaw and knots to an ancient Spanish cannon. Models include one used in the movie, “Poseidon Adventure” and cut-aways of the “Titanic” and “Lusitania”.
Ports O’ Call Village ( Berth 77, San Pedro. (310) 831-0287 Free.) is made up mostly of craft shops but includes a fresh fish market where you can choose your seafood then have it cooked to order. Here you can also take a cruise of L.A. Harbor.
S.S. Lane Victory (Pier 52, Harbor & 22nd St, San Pedro. ) is a World War II Victory Ship refurbished by U.S. Merchant Marine veterans. You can explore above and below decks. The ship is not kid-proofed and has high catwalks as well as steep stairs so parents are expected to hold on to small children. Kids are most impressed by the deck guns.
Cabrillo Marine Museum ( 3720 Stephen White Drive, San Pedro (310) 548- 7546 ) displays the sea life from the waters off Southern California in over thirty aquariums. The real hit with kids ( and their parents) is a ‘touch tank’ containing starfish, sea urchins, sea anemone, other tidepool creatures which can be touched in their own environment. The museum is located in a park at a small beach so the parking lot fills up early on weekends. The museum is free (aside from donations) but parking is not.
If you enter the park from the South on Vermont Ave., you can go up to Griffith Observatory (213) 664-1191. There is an outside stairway to the roof and a view of downtown to the ocean. At night it will take your breath away. In the daytime you may wonder how you can breathe at all. Inside are astronomical exhibits and the planetarium where they have the Laserium laser light shows.
Planes of Fame Air Museum ( 7000 Merrill Ave., Chino. at the Chino Airport (714) 597-3722 ) includes vintage and historic airplanes from World War I biplanes to a Japanese Zero to a Russian MIG. The kids won’t be into the history but will love exploring the B-17 World War II bomber parked out front.
American Military Museum (1918 N. Rosemead Blvd. El Monte at the Pomona (60) Freeway (213) 746-1776)
contains tanks and other military vehicles from the Great War to Desert Storm.
If you have comments about this page or would like to suggest additional picks or pans of interest to visitors to Southern California, we would be happy to hear from you.
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